KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Rarely have the outcomes of two matchups between the same teams just two weeks apart been more different.

Playing in front of a raucous Rupp Arena crowd on Feb. 16, Kentucky led by as many as 24 points en route to a 17-point win over then-No. 1 Tennessee. Playing in front of an equally boisterous Thompson-Boling Arena crowd Saturday, the No. 7 Vols returned the favor, leading by as many as 20 points on the way to a 19-point victory over No. 4 Kentucky.

How is the NCAA Tournament selection committee supposed to evaluate those results, which are further complicated by the fact Kentucky was without starting forward Reid Travis in the rematch?

Luckily for the committee, Kentucky and Tennessee appear destined for a third matchup on a neutral court in the SEC Tournament in Nashville to settle the season series and perhaps which Southeastern Conference squad will earn a No. 1 seed.

"Obviously, we’re going to end up seeing each other in the SEC Tournament," UK sophomore forward Nick Richards said. "It’s going to be a good battle. The rivalry is great. We’re going to see them again soon."

With LSU controlling its own destiny for the SEC Tournament's top seed thanks to head-to-head victories against both Tennessee and Kentucky, the third game between the Wildcats and Volunteers could come in the tournament's semifinals instead of the final like last year.

UK coach John Calipari has cast doubt in the past about whether the result of the Sunday SEC Tournament final truly has much impact on the NCAA Tournament bracket released only hours later — most notably in 2016 when Kentucky beat Texas A&M in the final after splitting two regular season matchups with the Aggies but was still seeded below Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament. But if Tennessee and Kentucky are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in Nashville this year, the third meeting would come on Saturday in the tournament semifinals.

Then the committee would have plenty of time to reward the winner of the rubber match with a better seed should it choose to do so.

"You expect to play guys like that in Nashville and also in the (NCAA) Tournament," Tennessee star Grant Williams said. "You never know when you’ll see those guys again. Feel like we will at some point, one way or the other. And it’s going to be again another crazy environment that if you’re a competitor you’re excited to play in."

At least two of the No. 1 seeds appear set.

Gonzaga is ranked first by the NCAA's new NET metric and has not lost since the committee included it as a No. 1 seed in the early bracket reveal last month. A loss in the WCC Tournament could drop Gonzaga from the top-seed line, but the Zags have a bye all the way to the semifinals.

Virginia is ranked second by the NET and first by KenPom.com with both its losses this season coming to Duke. With two Quadrant 1 games left on its regular-season schedule (at Syracuse and home against Louisville), Virginia seems safe barring multiple losses or an early ACC Tournament exit.

Duke seems to have the inside track to the third No. 1 seed assuming star freshman Zion Williamson is able to return from a knee injury, but Saturday's regular-season finale at North Carolina represents the chance for a third loss in six games since Williamson's injury. Should his injury linger into postseason play, the committee may have to recognize the current Duke team is not the same one that looked so dominant with Williamson.

Kentucky and Tennessee will battle with North Carolina, Michigan State and Michigan for the final No. 1 seed should the top three teams hold serve.

North Carolina has the most positive momentum of those teams with a five-game winning streak that includes victories over ranked squads Duke and Florida State. Michigan State recently beat Michigan but might have eliminated itself from the conversation with a second loss to Indiana Saturday. Michigan can avenge its earlier loss to the Spartans in the regular-season finale Saturday.

But if Kentucky and Tennessee both reach a third matchup in the SEC Tournament without another loss, it would be difficult to justify denying the winner of the rubber match a No. 1 seed.

Can't get enough Cats?

The NET ranks Tennessee fourth and Kentucky fifth after Saturday's game. The Vols now boast seven Quadrant 1 victories (top-30 NET teams at home, top-50 NET teams in neutral-site games and top-75 NET teams on the road), including a neutral-site win over Gonzaga, and have not lost to a team outside that quadrant. Kentucky's nine Quadrant 1 victories are tied for third most of any team in the country, and the Wildcats' resume includes a neutral-site victory over North Carolina.

"You know what’s amazing? Now they’re saying we’re not that good," Calipari said after the loss. "What? Like, when we beat them, 'They weren’t that good.' Now they beat us on their court where they haven’t lost in two years and, 'We’re not that good.' What? This is college basketball. Especially when you’re playing freshmen and sophomores, you have games like this. These kids are not machines, they’re not robots. Sometimes they play bad and sometimes the other team is more inspired."

Even the loser of a third matchup between Kentucky and Tennessee could find itself in an enviable spot in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South region in Louisville, the closest region to either campus. North Carolina would not be eligible for the No. 2 seed there if either ACC rivals Duke or Virgina is the No. 1 seed in Louisville as currently projected.

Given the divergent regular-season outcomes though, the most important reward for the winner of a third matchup might be the confidence boost for proving itself on a neutral court.

"This was a great lesson," Calipari said Saturday. "You get a punch in the mouth and now just like Tennessee did by us, we’ve gotta go to Mississippi, have a tough game Florida at home. Our last two are tough. This is like, time to grow up and bring something to the table."

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